The 49ers are where the Raiders were three years ago – drastically undermanned, in the midst of unrelenting losing, and with Fort Knox-like money under the salary cap. Obviously, the 10-2 Raiders have made the right moves in hiring coach Jack Del Rio, drafting players like Derek Carr and Amari Cooper, and acquiring players like …

At some point in the second half of his team’s 48-3 win over the Buccaneers on Sunday, 49ers tight end Vernon Davis tried his best to motivate his overwhelmed opponent.
Sensing Tampa Bay’s players had given up, Davis called out to Buccaneers cornerback… …

Wide receiver Joshua Morgan broke his right ankle after catching a 19-yard pass from Colin Kaepernick in the fourth quarter of the 49ers’ 48-3 win over Tampa Bay on Sunday, according to CSN Bay Area.
Morgan, who ranks second on the team in receptions (… …

Game review
Offense
That was the Jim Harbaugh blueprint: An angry power running game complemented by an efficient, mistake-free passing attack. Frank Gore (125 yards) headlined a rushing game that wore down the Bucs and collected 131 of its 213 yard… …

Cornerback Carlos Rogers can’t catch a cold?
Really?
You could have fooled San Francisco fans.
After developing a hands-of-stone reputation during his first six seasons with the Redskins, Rogers had his third interception in three games during Sunday’s… …

Q:We heard a little bit of (coach Jim) Harbaugh after the game. As a player, does all that yelling and stuff inspire you?

A: (laughs) Yeah, as a team we definitely have taken on his personality, just embracing everything that he has to offer us. I think it shows tremendously out there.

Q:I know you don’t want to say bad things about (Mike) Singletary, but I’m curious: Did he give similar speeches to Harbaugh?

A: He probably did – Singletary was a great speaker. I think the thing with Singletary was that he gave his speeches too soon. He was just one of those guys that whatever was in his heart, he just had to spit it out right now, he couldn’t just save it. So he would have a great speech for us, but he’d give it to us on a Tuesday, on our day off.

Q:So in the best sense of the word, Harbaugh is a little more conniving?

A: Yeah, most definitely. He saves his best speeches for right before the game.

Q:Coming into the Eagles game, I’m sure you saw the press clippings – the Eagles have (Dominique Rogers-)Cromartie and Asante Samuel and Nnamdi (Asomugha). … Tell me how you guys beat the Eagles’ trio of big-time cornerbacks.

A: Just using great technique. Basically, the line just protected for us, allowed us to try to get open and allowed Alex to get back there and read the defense. We know if we put everything together, we can get open versus anybody – we can make big plays all across the board. (Receivers) coach Johnny Morton is doing a great job with our technique and everything, and we just need to really put it together. This was a great overall job by the offensive line and Alex Smith to allow myself, Michael Crabtree and Vernon Davis to do what we did to that secondary.

Q:Everyone is speculating, but you probably know: What’s the difference between Alex Smith from last year as opposed to this year?

A: It’s not a big difference at all. It’s a different offense, which helps because this offense allows him to get the ball out of his hands since he has a lot of progression reads and he’s not back there overthinking and trying to make plays – he can just get the ball out of his hands. If you’re open you’re open, if you’re not it’s a check-down; it’s those type of reads. I think this offense is more like his offense at Utah.

Q:Is he more confident in the huddle, though – are his eyes different?

A: No, he’s always the same. I would say he’s more comfortable. He’s always had the confidence, but with this offense being more like the offense where he had all that success at Utah coming out of college, I think he’s a lot more comfortable in this offense. He just goes through the reads like it’s nothing now. He just makes all the right reads, he’s not turning the ball over, he’s taking care of the ball, he’s not throwing picks or anything.

Q:It was great to see the Philly fans shut up – they’re such a loud, vocal group of fans. Is there anything you can share that you heard yelled from any of the fans in Philly? I’m sure they were shocked.

A: I’ll be honest with you – I’m from Washington, D.C., so I’ve been to a lot of Philly games. And that was most definitely a tale of two halves, but they went from literally talking about everybody on our team, talking about our mothers, saying all the most hateful and hurtful stuff they could say – and then that second half they ended up rooting for us. You ended up hearing Niners chants. It was crazy, it felt like a home game in the second half.

The KNBR Conversation is a weekly Q&A culled from interviews conducted on KNBR 680/1050 AM.

Optimism abounds among the 49er Faithful, with good reason.
After one-quarter of the season, the Niners find themselves alone in first place atop the NFC’s West Division with a 3-1 record. Their nearest competitors are 1-3.
Is it too early to start tal… …

One of the best linebackers to ever play at a school known as Linebacker U., LaVar Arrington identified NaVorro Bowman as one of Penn State’s next great linebackers several years ago.
In fact, Arrington felt so strongly about his protege that he asked … …

In Sunday’s game at Candlestick Park between the Buccaneers and 49ers, both teams will be in pursuit of power. The “Power” run play is a signature feature of San Francisco coach Jim Harbaugh’s offense; the Bucs, behind 247-pound running back LeGarrette… …